EPL Betting – Man U Limp to St. James’ to Face Newcastle
By Zack Garrison in News
Updated: January 17, 2018 at 9:39 am ESTPublished:
Manchester United (-120) at Newcastle United (+375), Draw (+270)
Manchester United will look for just their second win of 2016 when they visit struggling Newcastle United at St James’ Park this afternoon (2:45 PM Eastern).
United snapped a six-game winless streak by taking a victory 2-1 over Swansea, climbing to fifth in the EPL table (33 points in 20 matches). They followed that up with a 1-0 win over League One side Sheffield United in the FA Cup on Saturday.
The win back-to-back wins didn’t help much for manager Louis Van Gaal, who remains on the hot seat. His team needed a penalty kick to beat Sheffield, and many fans were so disappointed in their side’s performance that they left the stadium early. Anything but a win against Newcastle could see the Dutch manager out of work.
He’s doing his best to remain positive through the trying times, though.
“You have to be happy as a Manchester United fan that we are in next round, and we have won the last two games,” Van Gaal said to the UK media.
United won’t have midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger for today’s game. The German is dealing with a knee injury and could be out up to a month.
Fortunately for Van Gaal, his squad will be facing a Newcastle team that’s lost three straight, sits 18th in the standings (on 17 points), and is in danger of being relegated.
The Magpies were on the wrong side of a 1-0 scoreline against Everton last time out; it was their third 1-0 loss in a row.
Manager Steve McClaren sees some positives in his team’s recent play, even though the points haven’t been forthcoming.
“Everybody who’s watched us recently, we’ve controlled games, and normally you win those. It’s unfortunate but we have to solve it,” McClaren told the Telegraph. “We’ve been in every game and had a chance of winning them all. But we’ve not taken our opportunities. It’s a fine line.”
A big part of Newcastle’s struggles can be chalked up to their play at St. James’ Park. They currently have the worst home record in the EPL (2-4-4). They managed to draw United (0-0) when the teams met at Old Trafford earlier this season and Untied have only been average away from home, going 4-2-4 on the year.
But the Red Devils have won three of the last four meetings and Van Gaal should have his team raring to go today.
Pick: Manchester United (-120).
Sports Writer
Zack is a tour guide whose favorite sports are football, baseball, and golf. He enjoys giving obnoxious commentary during games and hopes to some day write a book about sports. His favorite underdog victory was the Diamondbacks beating the Yankees in game 7 of the World Series.
